"Is not the object of every Revelation to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself, both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions?"

Today in India thousands of people are engaged in a systematic study of the words of God, in an environment that is at once serious and uplifting. As they strive to apply through a process of action, reflection and consultation the insights they gain, they see their capacity to serve society rise to new levels. These courses of the Baha'i training institute create an environment conducive to the spiritual empowerment of individuals, who will come to see themselves as active agents of their own learning, as protagonists of a constant effort to apply knowledge to effect individual and collective transformation.

Aware of the aspirations of the children of the world and their need for spiritual education, the Baha'is extend their efforts widely to involve ever-growing contingents of participants in classes that become centres of attraction for the young and strengthen the roots of spirituality and social action in society.

Baha'i Faith in India

India has been associated with the Baha'i Faith right from its inception in 1844, as one of the first eighteen people who recognized and accepted the Bab, the forerunner of Baha'u'llah, was from India. Today, over 2 million Baha'is representing the great diversity of the Indian nation live in every state of India in over 10,000 localities.

Baha'u'llah (1817-1892) is the Prophet of the Baha'i Faith. He is regarded by Baha'is as the most recent Divine Teacher in the line of the Messengers of God that have enlightened the peoples of the earth with their divine teachings. These include Divine Teachers such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. The central theme of Baha'u'llah's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification into one global society. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth, as perceived by Baha'u'llah, is to accept their oneness and, to assist the processes of unification of the entire human race and to thereby carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.

Unity in Diversity – the Central Theme of the Baha'i Faith

The Baha'is of India are actively engaged in seeking the betterment of society through the pursuit of processes of individual and social transformation. They are thus engaged, in consort with men, women, children and youth from the larger society, in a collective learning enterprise. The guidance and resources for all these activities are channelled through Baha’i governing councils at the local, regional and national levels. At present, there are seventeen regional and about 600 local councils functioning harmoniously in a spirit of non-adversarial consultation under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, which is the apex body looking after the affairs of the Indian Baha'i community. Through these efforts and in collaboration with a number of like-minded organisations, the Baha'is of India are learning to address the grave challenges facing present day society such as the prevalence of caste and class prejudice, gender inequality, communal disharmony, illiteracy, lack of education, violence, poverty, corruption and moral degradation. It is the fervent hope and aspiration of the Baha’i community in India to see their dear nation grow in material and spiritual prosperity, to see that the bonds of unity between the thousands of ethnic and religious communities living within its borders grows, that its people not only excel in the acquisition of scientific knowledge but also become renowned for their moral character and for qualities such as love, justice, compassion, equality and rectitude of conduct and that India makes its own distinct contribution to the advancement of world civilization.

Community Building Activities of the Baha'is

Inspired by the teachings of Baha'u'llah and the guidance of the Baha'i institutions, Baha'is of India follow a systematic pattern of human resource development in a seamless fashion building capacities of individuals from different age groups and different walks of life to enable them to lead a life of service to society.

The experience and learning of the Baha'is of India lends credence to the fact that human beings are born noble and that it is the word of God which is endowed with that regenerative power- understanding of which helps one to engage in an enduring path of spiritual and social transformation. The activities that drive this process are:

meetings that strengthen the devotional character of the community;

classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children;

groups that channel the surging energies of junior youth;

circle of study, open to all, that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the teachings to their individual and collective lives.

Responding to the inmost longing of every heart to commune with its Maker, the Baha'is carry out acts of collective worship in diverse settings, uniting with people of other Faiths in prayer, awakening spiritual susceptibilities, and shaping a pattern of life distinguished for its devotional character.

Participation in social action is a prominent feature of a life dedicated to the service of the entire human race. From a Bahá’í perspective, social action can range from fairly informal efforts of short duration undertaken by individuals or small groups to programmes of social and economic development with a high level of complexity and sophistication. Irrespective of its scope and scale, all social action seeks to apply the teachings and principles of the Bahá’í Faith to improve some aspect of the social or economic life of a population. Consequently, Bahá’í development initiatives are designed to engage and benefit all the members of a community and not just Bahá’ís.

The programme for the spiritual empowerment of junior youth is another expression of cultural advance in the Baha'i community, and it is spreading rapidly in different parts of the country. While global trends project an image of this age group as problematic, lost in the throes of tumultuous physical and emotional change, unresponsive and self-consumed, the Baha'i community - in the language it employs and the approaches it adopts - is moving decidedly in the opposite direction, seeing in junior youth instead altruism, an acute sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world.

India hosts a number of Bahá’í -inspired socio economic projects such as BARLI Development Institute for Rural Women (Indore), New Era Teacher Training Centre & New Era School (Panchgani, Maharashtra), Rabbani School (Gwalior), Foundation for Advancement of Science (Lucknow), Sikkim Baha'i Schools (Sikkim) and a host of privately owned Baha'i-inspired schools in different cities and villages of India. These schools attempt to satisfy the educational needs of all children from different walks of life. Bahá'ís have also established rural and community schools in villages of India and mostly in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.